National Forum History

• 18 states enacted policies recommended in the Joint Policy Statement spearheaded by the National Forum on improving access to evidence-based care, particularly for underserved organizations.
• The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) included consensus recommendations from the National Forum’s Value & Access Collaboration in its most recent assessment of cardiovascular therapy. The V&A Collaboration unifies patient, provider, purchaser, payer, & public health groups on value and access policy issues.
• Mayors across the U.S. used National Forum video and social media messages to encourage community members to get COVID-19 and flu vaccinations.
• 12 patient and provider organizations endorsed and disseminated a National Forum collaborative messaging campaign featuring Million Hearts® Executive Director Larry Sperling recommending flu vaccination.
• 226 healthcare providers, patient advocates, public health practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders from 160 organizations participated in The National Forum’s Mid-Year Virtual Convening: Answering the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Control Hypertension was held on May 6, 2021.
• The National Forum Signature Report, COVID-19 and Cardiovascular Disease – Two Pandemics: Collision and Chain Reaction, sparked calls in Cardiology and The Wall Street Journal for action to prevent COVID-19, cardiovascular disease, and health disparities.  
• 217 healthcare providers, patient advocates, public health practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders from 169 organizations participated in the National Forum’s 19th Annual Meeting.
• Warren A. Jones, MD, FAAFP, Captain, United States Navy Medical Corps (Ret.), Professor Emeritus of Family Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, is the 10^th National Forum Chair

• The National Forum spearheaded a Joint Policy Statement on improving access to evidence-based care, particularly for underserved populations. Thirty-one organizations signed the statement and the Trump Administration issued three emergency policy changes aligned with it. The Biden Administration already has implemented a Joint Policy Statement recommendation by launching the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 Vaccination.
• Mayo Clinic investigators announced that a shared decision-making tool created by the National Forum’s Value & Access Initiative increased patient engagement by 50%.
• Prompted by the National Forum, mayors and media personalities used the airwaves and social media to urge vulnerable populations and others to get their heart health checked and take steps to protect it, including getting treated when needed.
• The National Forum convened patient, provider, and public health groups and submitted joint input to ICER on its value framework and cost effectiveness analysis.
• Patients, clinicians, payers, elected officials, advocacy group leaders, the U.S. Surgeon General and other public health leaders identified strategies and actions to improve health equity and cardiovascular health during the National Forum Annual Meeting. Over 230 leaders from 160 organizations participated in the meeting.
• 2020 Signature Report: Cutting Straight to the Heart: A pandemic lays bare the inequity of heart disease in America. This fourth report in our series, discusses the causes and consequences of COVID-19 on cardiovascular health and disparities. Neglected cardiovascular health and diseases costs money and lives. The Signature Report highlights actions to decrease the burden of cardiovascular risk and disease, COVID-19 & health inequities.
• Kimberly Stitzel, MS, RD, Senior Vice-President, Center for Health Metrics and Evaluation, American Heart Association, is the 9th National Forum Chair.

• Move with the Mayor™ engagement and action in 18 locations in 2019 including 11 cities in the Buckeye Mayors Challenge through collaborations with Dr. Bern Melnyk’s team at The Ohio State University School of Nursing.  Support for Move with the Mayor™ includes frequent connections with National Forum staff and communications tools: press releases, headlines, social media content calendar, save the date, event calendars, and logos.

2019 Cities: Alexandria, VA, Albuquerque, NM, Akron, OH, Athens, OH, Baton Rouge, LA, Beavercreek, OH, Columbia, SC, Columbus, OH, Cuyahoga Falls, OH, Dayton, OH, Elyria, OH, Findlay, OH, Grove City, OH, Lancaster, OH, Los Angeles, CA, Oakland, CA, Toledo, OH, and West Chicago, IL.

• The National Forum held its Mid-Year Member Meeting on World Hypertension Day

May 17, 2019: Improving Blood Pressure Control at the Community Level Community,

Clinical and Public Health Leaders Share Success Stories

• • Hair & Health Program, Jared Hymowitz, Director of the Mayor’s Healthy City Initiative, Office of Mayor-President Sharon Weston-Broome, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, A Move with the Mayor® City
  • Development Of An Entirely Remote, Non‐Physician Led Hypertension Management Program, Victoria Liquori, MPH, Patient Navigator & Jacqueline Dunning, PharmD, Pharmacist, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
  • Regina M. Benjamin, MD, MBA, 18th Surgeon General of the United States interviewed the 2018 Million Hearts® Hypertension Control Champion: Mountain People’s Health Councils, Inc., Scott County Tennessee, Patricia Dyer, RN, Chief Operations Officer
  • Member Organizations: American Heart Association, Preeti Kolankarai, Portfolio Advisor, Patients; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Betsy L. Thompson, MD, MSPH, DrPH, RADM, US Public Health Service, Director, Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention
  • 2020 Appropriations Update, Caitlin Peruccio, Legislative Assistant, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Chair, House Labor, Health, Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee
  • U.S. Conference of Mayors unanimously approved a resolution drafted by the National Forum urging cities to answer the Surgeon General’s Call to Action on Walking and Walkable Communities. Mayor Sharon Weston Broome of Baton Rouge and 4 other mayors sponsored the resolution.

• Developed the Move with the Mayor^TM/U.S. Surgeon General’s Call to Action Step it Up! Success Roadmap to help cities identify and strengthen their programs and policies to improve health. Piloted the Roadmap with Ohio cities.
• The Value & Access Steering Committee released the next two SHARED Decision Making Worksheets in a series created in collaboration with Dr. Jennifer Robinson and Value & Access partners, the National Lipid Association and the American Pharmacists Association Foundation:

• • Statin-Related Side Effects
  • ASCVD
  • The worksheets are designed to help patients and providers discuss symptoms, explore and compare treatment options, discuss values and reach a decision.  These follow the worksheet on FH done in collaboration with the FH Foundation, released during last year’s Annual Meeting.

• Released Best Practices for Pharmaceutical & Therapeutics (P&T) Committees Checklist. The Checklist is a model process for P & T Committees to make equitable coverage decisions, focusing on evidence-based processes to select and promote treatments offering the best therapeutic outcomes, while minimizing potential risks and costs to patients.
• Submitted Value & Access Steering Committee and partners’ consensus feedback on ICER’s Draft Evidence Report on Additive Therapies for Cardiovascular Disease:

Effectiveness and Value

• Convened the Value & Access Steering Committee for an agenda-setting meeting on October 7, 2019.
• Presented the National Forum’s Virtual Convening on October 8, 2019:

Doing Our Part to Preserve Brain Health–An Urgent Call to Action which shared stories and the latest facts members can use in their World Stroke Day messaging. A new stroke prevention checklist for health professionals and the public, was presented. National Forum Board members Mark McEwen and Dr. Bern Melnyk were panelists, joined by two of our federal liaison organizations, Dr. Betsy Thompson, CDC and Dr. Clinton Wright, NINDS as well as Stephanie Mohl with the American Heart Association.  131 individuals from 52 organizations in 34 states attended.

• The National Forum released its third signature report on October 30, 2019, The “Silver Tsunami:” Aging of Baby Boomers creates dangerous wave of heart disease, heart failure.
• The 17^th Annual Meeting of the National Forum, Catalyst for Collaboration, was held on October 30, 2019 in Washington DC and for the first time the entire event was live-streamed.
• Working collaboratively, The Ohio State University Move with the Mayor^TM and the Ohio Mayors Alliance, are hosting an O-Heart-I-O heart health-themed football game/recognition event on November 9, 2019 recognizing 11 Ohio mayors who completed the Step it Up Challenge answering the U.S. Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities.
• Amarin, The Global Healthy Living Foundation, The Medicines Company and Partnership to Advance Cardiovascular Health joined the National Forum.
• Laura Gordon, General Manager, Edelman, is the 8th National Forum Chair.

• Reflecting the trust and collaborative environment fostered by the Value & Access Initiative, pharmaceutical and pharmacy benefits companies reached watershed agreements to reduce prices of innovative therapies and barriers to patients’ access to them.
• U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams joined mayors from throughout the country for a Move with the Mayor™ walk on World Heart Day, promoting physical activity.
• Mayor Jim Schmitt and the National Forum released an Impact Report showing he has used Move with the Mayor™ to engage City employees in physical activity and a comprehensive health program. Data show reductions in hospitalizations and related costs since Mayor Schmitt started the program 3 years ago.
• Mayors from a dozen cities used Move with the Mayor™ to create and/or strengthen their communities’ culture of health through encouraging physical activity, raise awareness, and supporting heart healthy behaviors. The mayors lead 30-minute walks in their communities to demonstrate that busy people can fit health-improving activities into their daily schedules. Media coverage amplifies the message. 2018 Cities: Arlington, TX • Baton Rouge, LA • Bloomington, IN • Columbia, SC • Columbus, OH • Findlay, OH • Green Bay, WI • Los Angeles, CA • Oakland, CA • Orlando, FL • West Chicago, IL • Rochester Hills, Michigan
• Claremont Graduate University’s Evaluation Center completed an 18-month evaluation of the National Forum’s Stronger Hearts™ Helpline pilot in San Bernardino County.  The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded evaluation highlighted heart failure patients’ needs for community and social services, and addressed ways to overcome access barriers which impair patients’ ability to carry out self-care.
• The National Forum held its Mid-Year Member Meeting on World Hypertension Day (WHD) May 17th. The theme for WHD is Know Your Numbers, with a goal of increasing high blood pressure awareness in all populations around the world. Presentations Topics: Gaps in Heart Disease Mortality, A mayor’s work in Creating a Culture of Health, Actions to improve blood pressure control, and National Forum member updates.
• USA Today, prompted by the National Forum, published four USA Snapshot® infographics raising awareness that heart disease and stroke are preventable. The messages reached 2.9 million people from March to September 2018:
• March 14, 2018: 6 in 10 of Preventable Heart Disease and Stroke Deaths Happen to People Under Age 65.
• May 17, 2018: About 1 in 5 Americans With High Blood Pressure Don’t Know They Have it.
• September 10, 2018: About 805,000 Americans suffer a heart attack every year.
• September 29, 2018: 71 million adults are physically inactive, a leading cause of heart disease. (1.75 million)
• Losing Ground: Heart Disease and Stroke Deaths Hit Hardest Right in the Middle, the second National Forum Signature Report by Stephen Sidney, MD, MPH, called attention to the disturbing trend of increasing cardiovascular disease death rates among Americans younger than age 65.
• National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, Ohio State University, and Trust for America’s Health joined the National Forum.
• Jennifer G. Robinson, MD, MPH, FAHA, Professor of Epidemiology, College of Public Health Professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Carver College of Medicine Director, Prevention Intervention Center, University of Iowa is the 7th National Forum Chair.

• The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is currently funding an 18-month evaluation of the National Forum’s Stronger Hearts™ Helpline in San Bernardino County. Claremont Graduate University’s Evaluation Center has partnered with the National Forum to lead the evaluative efforts. The evaluation is focused on assessing the extent to which the Helpline is facilitating patients’ heart failure self-management, building the program’s evaluation capacity, and understanding the Helpline’s potential effects on its users and the local community.
• The article, Improving Medication Adherence in Cardiometabolic Disease: Practical and Regulatory Implications was published in Journal of the American College of Cardiology in January and stems from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Enhanced Medication Adherence Strategies Initiative (EASi), which supports the Million Hearts® initiative to prevent one million heart attacks and strokes in five years. The FDA signed a first-of-its-kind memorandum of understanding with the National Forum for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention to engage public-private collaborators in EASi.  People not taking prescribed medications is a major reason that heart disease and stroke persist as the leading cause of death, according to a new report. The authors found that no single intervention has substantially altered medication adherence rates in the United States, and called for collaborative research to improve medication adherence among cardiovascular disease patients.
• National Forum’s Value & Access Initiative Steering Committee developed a consensus goal, to Enhance health and well-being by supporting people’s access to evidence-based care that is appropriate for them. The consensus strategies are: identify evidence-based strategies for determining appropriateness of care, and support the implementation of evidence-based care that aligns incentives for patients, providers, payers, and other stakeholders. Throughout the year, the committee and partners have met monthly to share information and collaborate on topics related to value & access. The National Forum has created an online clearinghouse to share this information. In September, the Steering Committee met in-person to develop action agenda items and work groups related to carrying out the consensus goal.
• The National Forum has facilitated meetings of the Value & Access Steering Committee to identify feedback and recommendations to ICER on their New Evidence Update (NEU) on PCSK9 inhibitors. While some of these recommendations go beyond the stated scope of the NEU, the National Forum believes they will help ICER strengthen its findings and resolve weaknesses in the original PCSK9 inhibitor report.
• During the American College of Cardiology, the National Forum’s Stronger Hearts™ Inaugural Best Practices Awards recognized two programs: Ambulatory Heart Failure Care Management Team from Mercy Clinic East, St. Louis, Missouri and the ENABLE CHF-PC (Educate, Nurture, Advise, Before Life Ends: Comprehensive Heartcare for Patients and Caregivers) from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
• A webinar on Improving Outcomes in Heart Failure was presented on April 11 that addressed heart failure prevention and the importance of enrolling in clinical trials, case studies from recent award recipients on community-based programs that are positively impacting heart failure patients and strategies on how these best practices can be replicated within communities.
• The Executive Director and Counter Cholesterol™ Program Manager served on a panel during the American Heart Association’s Target: Cholesterol Summit on April 11 in Dallas, Texas showcasing the National Forum’s Counter Cholesterol program.
• Presented a “Successful Strategies to Diagnose, Treat, and/or Control Hypertension” mid-year member meeting on World Hypertension Day, May 17. The theme was Know Your Numbers with a goal of increasing high blood pressure awareness in all populations around the world.
• World Hypertension Day Thunderclap on May 17: 107 supporters (107% of goal) with a Social Reach of 1,116,671.
• World Heart Day, Move with the Mayor™ events were held in seven communities throughout September: Columbia, SC; Green Bay, WI; Indianapolis, IN; Oakland, CA; Wichita, KS; Toledo, OH and West Chicago, IL. American College of Cardiology’s CardioSmart and Heka Health partnered with the National Forum to carry out the first Move with the Mayor™ head-to-head challenge. West Chicago lead the way with residents taking over 7.6 million steps during the month September.
• World Heart Day Thunderclap on September 29, 166 supporters (166% of goal) with a Social Reach of 1,619,801.
• FDA and the National Forum continued our partnership to increase medication adherence among patients at risk for heart attacks, transient ischemic attacks and other cardiac events. Their 2^nd article, Disparities in hypertension and cardiovascular disease in blacks: The critical role of medication adherence was published in the Journal of Clinical Hypertension in September.
• Welcomed new National Forum member Independent Health Group.
• Released, Wrong Direction: Troubling Trends in the Rate of U.S. Cardiovascular Disease Deaths – A Report from the National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention by Stephen Sidney, MD, MPH, Director of Research Clinics, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Division of Research
• David R. Zook, JD, Faegre Baker Daniels Consulting, is the 6th National Forum Chair.

• New members welcomed into the National Forum include the Seafood Nutrition Partnership and Spirit Health Group.
• The mayors of five cities led World Heart Day-Move with the Mayor™ events throughout September: Columbia, SC; Green Bay, WI; Lorain, OH; Oklahoma City, OK; West Chicago, IL. Media coverage reached 6.4 million people plus 800,000 more through social media.
• Counter Cholesterol awareness initiative was launched in Austin, Texas during July 2016. The initiative focuses on raising awareness among women and their families about cholesterol and talking to health care providers about risks, screening and testing.
• The Stronger Hearts™ Helpline, launched in February 2015, continued as a free, bilingual heart failure support service to residents in San Bernardino County, CA via a 211 call line.
• FDA and the National Forum developed two manuscripts on improving medication adherence and eliminating disparities in therapeutic adherence and cardiovascular health outcomes.
• Million Hearts® initiative was promoted through collaborations with the American Heart Association, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials and National Association of County and City Health Officials. Webinars and podcasts on blood pressure and cholesterol control were taped with clinicians discussing how to improve the blood pressure control via environmental and clinical systems change in the community and health care settings using evidenced based interventions.
• Held the 14th National Forum, with the theme “Bridging Clinical and Population Health” on October 19, 2016, in Washington, DC.
• David R. Zook, JD, Faegre Baker Daniels Consulting, is the 6th National Forum Chair.

• New members were welcomed into the National Forum include American Medical Women’s Association, Florida Department of Health, National Council on Aging, City of Green Bay.
• Million Hearts® initiative was promoted through collaborations with the American Heart Association, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials and National Association of County and City Health Officials. Webinars with national researchers and consultants and podcasts with Million Heart® Hypertension Challenge Control Champions on blood pressure and cholesterol control were taped with clinicians discussing how to improve the ABCS via environmental and clinical systems change in the community and health care settings using evidenced based interventions.
• World Heart Day events were launched in the US for the second year during September 2015. Events were held in Indianapolis with the “Just One Thing” campaign, Green Bay with a “Move with the Mayor” event and New Orleans with a “Managing Cholesterol Dinner and Learn.”
• Cholesterol Awareness Initiative is in planning stages to be launched in several local communities during 2016. The initiative will focus on creating awareness among women and their children about cholesterol and talking with health care providers regarding risks, screening and testing. The Stronger Hearts Helpline launched in February 2015 as a free, bilingual heart failure support service to residents in San Bernardino County, CA via a 211 call line.
• FDA formally announced its partnership with the National Forum to increase medication adherence among patients at risk for heart attacks, transient ischemic attacks and other cardiac events in theFDAVoice.
• Held the 13th National Forum, with the theme “Advancing the ABCS of Prevention” on October 21, 2015, in Washington, DC.
• Sharon Moffatt, RN, BSN, MSN, Senior Advisor for Public Health Leadership and Transformation Association of State and Territorial Health Officials is the 5th National Forum Chair.

• Welcomed the following new members: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics,  FH Foundation, Healthy Caribbean Coalition, Indian University of Health
• Released the Public Health Action Plan to Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke: Ten-Year Update in March 2014.
• During June and July 2014, worked with the American Heart Association and Association of State and Territorial Health Officials to host several webinars on the Million Hearts® initiative, focusing on blood pressure control and taped 4 podcasts with clinicians, discussing how to improve the ABCS via environmental and clinical systems change in the community and health care settings.
• National Forum Executive Director John Clymer was the keynote speaker at the National Innovative Communities Conference in August 2014.
• Launched the first World Heart Day in the US during September 2014, working in Indianapolis and Chicago. Community leaders launched the World Health Day Walk with Winnie in Indianapolis to walk 2,000 steps with Indianapolis First Lady Winnie Ballard, and the Healthy Chicago, Healthy Hearts plan to prevent heart disease in Chicagoans.
• The Stronger Hearts Helpline is created to launch in February 2015 as a free, bilingual heart failure support service to residents in San Bernardino County, CA via a 211 call line.
• Held the 12th National Forum, with the theme “Collaborating for Impact” on October 22, 2014, in Washington, DC.
• Sharon Moffatt, RN, BSN, MSN, Senior Advisor for Public Health Leadership and Transformation Association of State and Territorial Health Officials is the 5th National Forum Chair.

• National Forum joins the Healthy Caribbean Coalition and World Health Federation
• The Policy Depot was featured in a Stanford Social Innovation Review article called the “Ten Technology Trends to Watch.”
• An editorial in the Journal 2013 edition of the Circulation written by National Forum Surveillance Team members called for a national surveillance system that monitors heart disease and stroke incidence in the U.S.
• The National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention collaborated with the Global Smokefree Partnership to bring more than 150 smokefree resources onto the Policy Depot.
• The National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention was mentioned in a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s article on the Community Preventive Services Task Force’s recent report to Congress.
• On behalf of the National Forum, Randy Kirkendall, of ICF International, participated in the Cardiovascular Biomarker Standardization Symposium in Atlanta, GA on May 15th. The symposium focused on delivering cost-effective, high- quality patient care through accurate and reliable laboratory testing.
• In an ongoing effort to expand its scope, health equity related policies have been added to the Policy Depot. The current health equity policies on the Policy Depot include: awareness about health disparities, community engagement and capacity building, access to healthcare, cultural competency, and sharing health equity research.
• The National Forum and the American Heart Association hosted a webinar on the Million Hearts® initiative as well as recent developments to address sodium in the United States.
• The 11th National Forum, with the theme Sharing Success: Ideas, Insights and Innovations, was held October 9, 2013, in Washington, DC.
• Keith C. Ferdinand, MD, FACC, FAHA, FASH, FNLA (Professor of Clinical Medicine, Tulane University/ Association of Black Cardiologists) is the 4th National Forum Chair.

• Translating Clinical Preventive Services into Coverage for Essential Health Benefit and Exchanges” meeting in Washington, DC, on January 18 which included presentations by representatives from the American Heart Association, Employee Benefit Research Institute, and Partnership for Prevention.
• The National Forum and the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) hosted a Million Hearts webinar, Improving Workplace Cardiovascular Health: A Collaboration Between Employers and Government Initiatives on February 8.
• Health Equity Advisory Meeting held in Washington, DC, with representatives from 25 for-profit nonprofit and governmental agencies present.
• Participated in the White House Community Leaders Brief in in Cardiovascular Health in Washington DC on February 24.
• The Sodium Reduction Advisory Meeting met for the first time on February 17 in Washington, DC with 12 participants representing 9 national organizations to kick-off the planning process for the strategic priority.
• National Forum Logic Model created
• Presented on the Policy Depot at the World College of Cardiology meeting.
• Added two new board members (representing for-profit companies) and one federal liaison representing the Indian Health Service.
• Became a Million Hearts Partner
• The National Forum launched a new website where members can better interact with one another.
• John M. Clymer becomes the new Executive Director for the National Forum
• The National Forum establishes its office in Washington, DC
• The 10th National Forum, with the theme Working Together: Policies, Partners and Action, was held October 16 – 18, 2012, in Washington, DC.
• Keith C. Ferdinand, MD, FACC, FAHA, FASH, FNLA (Professor of Clinical Medicine, Tulane University/ Association of Black Cardiologists) is the 4th National Forum Chair.

• A restructuring plan was implemented in January 2011 to increase efficiencies and achieve greater effectiveness.
• 15 new member organizations join, including the National Forum’s firs private-sector companies, firs on-cardio focused organization, and several other nonprofits which include: Sanofi C-Change, the American Public Health Association (APHA), the American College of Cardiology
• National Forum presented its first policy education webinar with a focus on protection of the National Prevention Fund
• National Forum presented a webinar in September on the impact of the IOM surveillance recommendations on population health.
• Transforming Leadership, Policy and Practice: A Partnership of Leaders was the theme of this year’s annual meeting which was successful in educating and providing networking and collaboration opportunities to the more than 130 participants from more than 50 organizations.
• 2011 National Forum Leadership Roundtable at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions created a “space and place” for a multi-sector input session addressing sodium reduction
• National Forum joined several groups, including the National Salt Reduction Initiative (NSRI), the National Quality Forum (NQF), and the NCD Alliance
• National Forum added its first for-profit members to the Board of Directors
• National Forum launched its 2020 Goal and Strategic Priorities
• Development Committee established
• Thomas A. Pearson, MD, MPH, PHD, senior associate Dean for Clinical Research, Director of the University of Rochester Clinical and Translation Science Institute (CTSI), and Director of the Rochester Prevention Research CenterUniversity of Rochester Medical Center, is the 3rd National Forum Chair.

• Articles of Incorporation filed establishing National Forum as a non-profit organization on February 15, 2010
• Op-Ed: National Forum Calls for Collective Will and More Funding to Fight Hypertension
• Unveiled new format for the Forum’s website
• Response issued to the Institute of Medicine report on hypertension, calling for increased funding for national surveillance system and stakeholder collaborations
• Coordinating Board becomes the Board of Directors
• National Forum Bylaws updated to strengthen the organization’s governance model
• Mission Committee established
• National Forum attained tax exempt status and is officially designated a 501(c)(3) organization by the IRS in July
• Inaugural Leadership Roundtable occurred at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Session and created a “space and place” for a multi-sector input session focused on the National Health Promotion and Prevention Strategy
• 8 new member organizations joined
• Thomas A. Pearson, MD, MPH, PHD, senior associate Dean for Clinical Research, Director of the University of Rochester Clinical and Translation Science Institute (CTSI), and Director of the Rochester Prevention Research CenterUniversity of Rochester Medical Center, is the 3rd National Forum Chair.

• Established Philip Poole-Wilson Digital Library
• Policy statement issued on biomarkers
• Op-ed released outlining unacceptable global capacity to prevent CVD
• 7th National Forum steps into the policy arena by focusing its plenary sessions on three of the biggest health policy issues of the day: health reform and the importance of prevention, cardiovascular disease surveillance and sodium in food
• National Forum conducted first Business Meeting
• National Forum initiated awards program to recognize national leaders in public health prevention for heart disease and stroke
• National Forum received first educational grant from Sanofi to serve as public health advisor for AF Stat (atrial fibrillation
• National Forum transitioned from the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors to Danya International Inc.
• National Forum convened a Global Summit on Education and Training in Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, October 15-16, 2009
• National Forum developed a Membership Marketing Strategy
• National Forum Webinar on Applied Epidemiology Competencies, October 20, 2009
• The National Forum participated in a National Public Health Stakeholders meeting on Sodium Reduction
• National Forum invited to participate on the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Office of Women’s Health Heart Attack Campaign Expert Panel
• Mark Schoeberl, MPA, Executive Vice President, Advocacy & Quality Improvement, American Heart Association is the 2nd National Forum Chair.

• Partnership with the National Association of County and City Health Officials to host a town hall featuring the documentary “Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?”
• Ratification of A Policy Framework Statement for Regional and Global Partnerships
• Release of white paper entitled Capacity Building, Professional Competencies, and Voluntary Accreditation as Related to Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention
• Issued policy statements on the importance of CVD prevention as essential component of health care reform, the importance of heart disease and stroke prevention as essential elements of health care reform, and the establishment of a national surveillance unit for prevention and management of heart disease and stroke
• 2008 A Public Health Action Plan to Prevention Heart Disease and Stroke Supplement and Update published
• Operating Principles and Four Year Business Goals and Strategies established
• National Forum files public comment on Issue of Salt in Food with the US FDA
• Release of an Abbreviated State Planning Index for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention for use by state-based programs and their partners
• Mark Schoeberl, MPA, Executive Vice President, Advocacy & Quality Improvement, American Heart Association is the 2nd National Forum Chair.

• Essential Features of a Surveillance System to Support Prevention and Management of Heart Disease and Stroke is published in January 2, 2007 issue of Circulation
• Action Update bi-monthly newsletter begins
• Annual plans for Implementation Group work established
• National Forum key messages established
• Publication of the National Forum Reader on Economics
• Development of Operating Principles and Four Year Business Goals and Strategies
• Website launched
• Work begins on supplement and update to the Action Plan
• A State of the Science: Evaluation of Policy and Environmental Change for Heart Disease and Stroke
• Prevention meeting was held August 27-28, 2007
• Darwin R. Labarthe, MD, MPH, PHD, Director, Division for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was the first National Forum Chair.

• Video and archive project are launched to document organization’s activities; first National Forum DVD is produced and distributed
• Official signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding for the Healthy People 2010 Partnership
• First meeting of National Forum Coordinating Board on January 30-31, 2006
• Operating Polices are adopted, April 3, 2006
• The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors was awarded a cooperative agreement in July to provide staffing administrative support and an organization home for the National Forum
• The National Forum is made up of a coordinating board, executive committee, resource committee, membership committee and seven implementation groups.
• Darwin R. Labarthe, MD, MPH, PHD, Director, Division for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was the first National Forum Chair.

• Focus groups are conducted to gauge knowledge and create concept mapping for the Action Plan

• Second National Forum is held; meetings are held annually from this year forward

• CDC publishes the Action Plan; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson releases the Action Plan
• 25,000 copies of the Action Plan are distributed

• Ten panels finalize content of the Action Plan
• First meeting of the group which becomes the National Forum

• (1998) Congress awards appropriation to CDC, establishing a state heart disease and stroke prevention program
• Establishment of Healthy People 2010 Partnership for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention
• First work group meets to plan A Public Health Action Plan to Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke (Action Plan)